


Cookies

by salesman



Series: Overloaded: Solas POV & Other Stories [7]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Cookies, F/M, Fluff, POV Solas, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-04-04 22:16:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4155006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salesman/pseuds/salesman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Solas wakes a hungry Anna.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <em></em><br/>    <span class="small"><strong>AU oneshot</strong> in Overloaded, sometime during <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/3487133/chapters/8028978">Ch 37: Quick with her bow</a>.</span><br/>  </p>
            </blockquote>





	Cookies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dfg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dfg/gifts).



“Anna? Anna!” he said, shaking the sleeping woman awake. She was lying on the sofa in his study, a common activity for his da’len. It was rather a nuisance, as she had the habit of snoring loudly, but Solas had grown accustomed to it in the recent weeks.

“Hmmm... what?” she asked sleepily, still keeping her eyes closed.

Solas sighed in frustration. It was late into the night, and he had finally finished reading the large tome on entropy magic that had been on his desk for quite some time. He had readied himself to leave, but seeing Anna lying on his couch so unaware made him feel somewhat guilty. He could not just let her lie there all night. Surely she would catch a chill or somehow strain her back... or even worse, _sleepwalk all over his things_. The last was highly unlikely, but he could never be certain with his da’len. She had a propensity for partaking in unusual activities.

“Da’len,” he tried again, but it was of no use. Somehow Anna had the ability to fall into a deep sleep that could only be woken by the sound of gossip or the smell of food (a theory Solas had developed from recent observations). Although, he supposed he could use some form of magic to rouse her, but Solas feared this would frighten her too much. She could be so fragile at times.

“ _Solas, be quiet..._ ” Anna mumbled, turning over on the sofa to lie on her side. Oh, she _must_ be awake now, and she was only torturing him by pretending to sleep. His da’len loved to tease him, and catching on to her little game brought a streak of vengeance to his mind.

Yes. He would have his revenge.

Of course, she had merely been pretending to sleep this entire time, and it really was nothing to be vengeful about, but Solas loved to tease his da’len nearly as much as she, and he would hardly pass up any opportunity to do so.

But what sort of prank did his dear da’len deserve?

Anna snorted then, burying her face even deeper into the couch. “ _Solas... you just love the Fade..._ ” she murmured into the cushions.

Yes, he could always manipulate her dreams in the Fade. But this felt like cheating in a way, as if it were too easy and not clever enough. No, he would need to do something real, something that actually affected her in the physical world.

Solas continued to ponder, wondering what things would alarm Anna most. She was surprisingly brave, his da’len, and it was difficult to think of anything she would actually be worried about. The only thing that came to mind was... well, _him_.

Anna was always concerned over his welfare, constantly pestering him about his happiness. He had no idea _why_ she cared so intensely, but it did bring a small smile to his lips whenever she badgered him about how he was feeling. Anna was curiously compassionate.

But this did not help his current predicament. What could he do to rouse a strong reaction? Fake his own death? That seemed too childish a trick to do.

He briefly imagined it, though. Anna waking to find him dead on the floor, perhaps a new wound on his head for added drama. Would she scream in horror? Cry in despair? These seemed like probable outcomes... and frankly, completely undesirable.

Solas did not enjoy the thought of bringing his da’len such pain, even if it were for his own amusement. He had only seen her cry once, and this was enough for him to never want to witness it again. She had wept unabashedly at the news of his forthcoming death, and the raw emotion had almost completely undone him. He felt incredibly pained by her tears, and his own response nearly shocked him more than the act itself.

He cared deeply for Anna, that much had become clear, and this was a difficult realization for Solas to accept. She was now another person he had to abandon for his duty. His plans to leave were becoming more difficult by the day.

Solas sighed, sitting on the edge of the sofa in resignation. How would he be able to leave Anna when the time came? She was now more important to him than he had ever anticipated. It was only with her that he could fully be himself, fully let go of his secrets and facade. He was tired of twisting his words and hiding truths from the others, but with Anna he didn’t need to. And she did not judge him, or not in the way that she should, and she loved him regardless of his unforgivable mistakes.

And he loved her. Yes, he did, and he would likely always love her, as she were perhaps the only true friend he had in this world. It was a morbid thought. Even Mythal, who was now his oldest friend, had more interest in her own personal affairs and revenge than his well-being. But Anna was different.

Everything he did seemed to interest her. She wanted to know his stories, his opinions, his advice. She was far more interested in what he had to say than the Inquisitor had ever been, but perhaps this was a result of her knowing his true identity. Still, her interest pleased him. It was heartwarming to know someone cared for him and considered his thoughts valid and important. So many years had passed where he was ignored, and never in his life would he think a human, or anyone, for that matter, would find him as intriguing as Anna did.

He smiled at the thought, and turned to look at her sleeping face. She was lovely, in her own little way. The way her eyes would brighten whenever she spoke, or the bounce in her step as she came skipping through a door to see him. He was lucky to have someone like her as a friend.

Solas gently swept some hair from her face, and his fingers lightly brushed over her warm skin. He felt the palpitations of his heart quicken as he did so, and his hand felt strangely heavy as he touched her. It was almost as if his whole body were focused on the small bit of skin he touched, and the nerves of his fingertips seemed to strike directly to his heart.

And he wanted more. He wanted to feel more of her skin, which was softer than he had expected, and warmer, too. He wondered what it would feel like to brush his lips against it, to compare the sensation with that of his hand.

She _was_ sleeping... It was obvious now from the rhythmic breathing of her chest. She would hardly notice a small kiss, and it would merely be an experiment to compare his tactile observations. Yes. This made sense.

He slowly leaned over her, lowering his lips to her cheek as quietly as he could. But apparently it wasn’t quiet enough.

Anna’s eyes flew open, and she instantly turned to look Solas straight in the eye. He paused immediately, hovering just above her now-aware face. “What are you doing?” she asked, a groggy slur still affecting her tone.

“You should sleep in your quarters,” Solas said, quickly sitting up on the couch and looking away from her. That had been close.

Anna moaned in annoyance. “No, I don’t want to... I’ll just sleep here...” she said, closing her eyes again.

His da’len was undeniably lazy, this much was certain. It was almost shocking how long she would refuse to move, with her only viable excuse being that she simply did not want to. Solas sighed. “Then I bid you goodnight, da’len,” he said quietly, rising to stand.

“No, don’t leave!” Anna protested, catching hold of his sleeve. “It’s creepy without you here.”

He looked down at his da’len to see she was now squinting her eyes at him. He shook his head. “Then sleep in your own room, Anna,” he replied with a tired exhale.

Anna groaned again, but she slowly began to rise, still pulling at his tunic. He gently helped her to a seated position, releasing her as soon as she felt balanced. Rubbing her eyes with both hands, Anna suddenly declared, “I’m hungry.” She blinked up at Solas. “Let’s go to the kitchen, hahren.”

Solas raised an eyebrow. Eating? At this hour? “Da’len, it is late, and I am tired. Perhaps another time.”

He tried to pull away then, but Anna was insistent. “It’ll be quick, I promise!” she pleaded, tugging at his tunic again. “I don’t want to go by myself... please?”

Solas rolled his eyes. He should definitely decline. It was too late for eating, and Solas wanted to follow up his new knowledge from the tome with further research in the Fade. But as he looked at Anna, who had somehow widened her eyes and made her lips tremble like a whimpering puppy, it was difficult to say no. Where did she learn such manipulative behavior?

“Fine, I will go with you,” he answered, feeling defeated by her pleas. He walked with her to the kitchen, as promised, and was somewhat pleased to see how she skipped happily along beside him.

“I hope there’s still some food left!” she exclaimed cheerfully, suddenly taking his hand to hurry him faster through the corridor.

“Everyone has gone to sleep, da’len,” Solas warned. “Finding any meal at this hour is unlikely.” He felt contented by the way she so easily took his hand in hers, although also somewhat aggravated by the pushiness of the gesture. It would hardly change the outcome of their findings by walking at a quickened speed, but perhaps she was hungrier than he had assumed.

They soon reached the kitchen, and Solas immediately cast a fire in the fireplace, lighting the previously dark room. But the moment he did so, she froze.

“Oh, my god, do you smell that?” Anna asked abruptly, nearly jumping up and down. “It. Smells. Like...” Each word was punctuated by a sniff of her nose. “... Cookies!”

“Cookies?” Solas asked, but she ignored his question and instead went to busying herself around the kitchen, dropping his hand and frantically searching for the source of the scent.

It was not long until Anna had found the said baked goods, which had been stowed away in a ceramic jar. As soon as Anna opened its lid, she took a generous bite of one. “Mmmm!” she moaned, mouth still full. “This is _so_ good!” She was overly dramatic in her excitement. “Taste it!” she demanded, shoving the food in front of Solas’ mouth.

“No, thank you,” he politely declined, raising a hand to push the cookie away. He was not hungry in the slightest, and somehow her show of extreme delight over the confection had quelled any interest he might have had. There was no way that she could possibly be so happy over a cookie, and her reaction felt too theatrical for him to trust. No cookie could taste that good.

“Oh, my god, seriously?! You’re not even going to try it?” She urged the cookie closer to his mouth. “How can you like frilly cakes and not cookies?!”

When he shook his head no, she only rolled her eyes and continued her eating. Hmm. Perhaps his da’len simply loved cookies more than he had realized. She was on her second one now, which she was ungracefully cramming into her mouth like a starving nug.

There would be no harm in trying one, he reasoned, and it obviously would please Anna for some unknown reason. He gingerly plucked a cookie out of the jar, holding it prudently with his fingers. He had no idea how Anna knew he appreciated frilly cakes, but apparently she was unaware of his feelings on cookies.

Half of the enjoyment of cakes were the pure art of their making, while cookies were unceremoniously slapped together and stuck into an oven. Solas relished the way the cakes could be layered with different flavors, and decorated in creative and inspiring forms.

But cookies? They were tough and flat little things that hardly required skill, and rarely contained the same complexities of flavor. He had little appreciation for them, and this impending consumption was solely for his da’len.

He sighed and then raised his gaze from the confection, meeting Anna’s eyes. She had been intently watching his movements, anticipating the reaction of her hahren trying something she loved. Solas took a small bite, staring into her eyes all the while and chewing the food with deliberate slowness.

He had to admit, it _was_ tasty. There were smalls morsels of chocolate nestled between bits of baked dough that complemented each other perfectly. And the texture was surprisingly pleasant, with a softness that seemed to melt in his mouth. Hmm.

He felt slightly foolish for his previous obstinate declines, but he could not let his da’len know his approval. Instead, he placed the remainder of the cookie on the wooden table beside them and folded his arms together in pretend aggravation. “I have tried it, as you requested.”

“ _And_?” she asked, clearly annoyed by his terse response. “Did you like it or not?”

Solas shrugged apathetically. “I prefer cakes,” he answered, purposely keeping his answer ambiguous.

Anna exhaled in frustration. “You are so stubborn!” she asserted, shoveling another cookie into her mouth. “These cookies are possibly the best thing I’ve ever eaten in Skyhold!”

Solas had to roll his eyes at _that_ statement. Surely, she was exaggerating now. Together they had tried a number of delicacies from nearly every country in Thedas, and to compare some of the finest meals prepared by acclaimed chefs to these...  _cookies_ , which were probably made by Sera, for all he knew, was preposterous.

But he had to admit, he did crave another bite. How could he sneak another taste without drawing her notice? Perhaps when she moved to cookie five? Sometime during the short moment when she pulled the next cookie out of the jar could be his only chance.

He waited patiently. Well, it was not a very _long_ wait as Anna seemed to be eating at a nearly alarming speed. The instant her gaze went to the jar, and she angled her hand to grab another, Solas deftly broke off another piece of his cookie that still remained on the table. Anna looked back at him as she bit into her next victim, but he held the portion behind his back and away from her view.

As casually as he could, he turned his body away from her, as if to look at something on the kitchen wall. Quickly, he raised the cookie to his mouth, popping the piece between his lips. He chewed with as little motion as possible, slowly savoring the tiny bit of sugary dough. He swallowed. Yes, it _was_ delicious, but certainly not worth her high appraisal.

As he turned back, maintaining his cool expression, the look on his da’len’s face startled him. She was glaring at him with a scrunched brow of suspicion, and she took a step forward, pointing at him accusingly. “Did you just eat some more?”

Solas took a step away from her, backing awkwardly into a counter behind them. “Eat?” he asked innocently as Anna stalked angrily towards him.

She raised her hand to his face, picking a small crumb from his chin. “ _What_ do you call _this_?” she demanded, brandishing the evidence in the air.

“A crumb,” Solas answered coolly. “Much like the many that cover your own face.”

“Wait, what?” Anna asked, suddenly more concerned with her appearance than her accusations. “Do I have some cookie on my face?”

“ _Some_ would be a gross understatement. You nearly have the entire batch attached to your mouth,” he smirked, feeling triumphant in his success in distracting her.

“Oh, geez,” she said under her breath, quickly attempting to wipe her mouth with her hands. “Did I get it all?” she asked when she thought herself clean.

Solas laughed, examining his da’len’s face. “How can you eat this way?” he asked, raising his hand to her chin to wipe away some chocolate with his thumb. “You are impossibly messy, da’len,” he murmured, feeling distracted as his finger grazed her lower lip.

His heart hastened then as he stared at those lips, which looked tauntingly full and soft. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her, to feel those lips against his. Would she lean into him as they kissed, pressing her body to him? Would she grab at his tunic, reach for his neck? Would she be shy and hesitant, unsure of how to respond?

He had no idea if Anna had ever kissed a man before, much less anything else. There was so much of her that was a mystery to him. Untold and unknown. He was not even certain of her feelings for  _him_ , even though she had once said she loved him. But that could be said to a friend, couldn’t it?

Their relationship was confusing at best. They were friends, but there was something more... almost like a partnership. He trusted her undoubtedly, and knew that he could confide his deepest secrets without fear of betrayal or judgement. And she supported him; she wanted to help him and be his aid. And he wanted to be hers.

“Anna,” he whispered, meeting her gaze as he cupped her cheek with his hand. He felt like he needed to tell her all this, what she meant to him and how she could be just as open as he felt he could be with her. But the longer he looked into her eyes, the farther such thoughts floated away, and he became consumed by the feeling of her skin in his palm.

She was blushing, and he felt the hotness in her cheek and saw how beautifully it colored her complexion. He was feeling very warm himself, and he then noticed how her body just barely touched his. He wanted to press closer, wanted to kiss and feel all that she was.

No. He could not do that. It would be infringing upon her trust in him. She saw him as her hahren, a friend who would always remain as such... right?

It was difficult to tell, although by the way she looked at him now, through heavy lids and flushed cheeks... it nearly seemed the opposite. What was Anna thinking? Was it similar to his own thoughts?

Solas continued to stand there, holding her face and pondering her possible feelings. It felt like he had been frozen in this moment for an eternity, waiting for one of them to break away. But neither faltered. She remained just as still as he did.

But then, a small change. She lifted her chin ever higher, slowly approaching his height. And as he watched her near, he could no longer hold back. Her closeness was too tempting to ignore, and he had to kiss her, at least once.

When their lips met, it was like every question was answered the instant they touched. He pulled her closer, wrapping his free arm around her waist and anchoring her to his body. And she did everything he had imagined—she pulled, she pressed, she reached and she hungered, kissing him just as eagerly as he was.

How could he had ever doubted her affections were any different from his? He knew it now, perhaps he always knew, that with every smile and laugh, every sentence and whisper, she had said it all. She was in love with him, and just as equally as he was in love with her.

He barely broke away to whisper, “Ar lath ma, Anna,” against her lips before pulling her back into another kiss. How long had he wanted this? How long had he felt so strongly about her?

Anna pulled away this time, opening her eyes to look at him. “You really love me?” she asked.

He smiled as he answered, “Immensely.”

She smiled, looking sheepish as her gaze fell downwards. “I love you, too,” she replied quietly. She pushed some hair behind an ear, meeting his eyes again. “How long have you known? How long have you kept it from me?”

“Too long,” he murmured, pulling her back towards him. He kissed her again. “Unforgivably long.”

She giggled, returning his feverish kisses. “And how long have you liked cookies?”

Solas laughed, meeting her lips again. He may have finally revealed his feelings for her, but _that_ confession was for another time.

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to my dear friend Dfg! I was reading [The Unexpected](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4544451/) yesterday and felt so inspired, so I wrote this :D
> 
> Kind of random, but whatever XD


End file.
